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When Joel Shafer was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he spent a lot of
time reading up and educating himself on his options.
There is watchful waiting, or no intervention while keeping active surveillance
on your PSA levels, radiation or surgery.
Also known as radical prostatectomy. Understand that you should
take a little time before you make any decisions. You do want to talk to
somebody, or more than one person who has been through it. You want to do your reading
and at that point, you put your faith in the doctors and
the process. For many reasons, Joel decided that
surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was his best option.
Renowned surgeon Dr. Robert Nam performs about 200 of these
sugeries every year. Generally, patients
who have prostate cancers that are confined within the gland will have the best
chances of success. However, there are some types of prostate cancer
that, unfortunately, have escaped outside the prostate gland
or are just very aggressive cancers. I believe it's those
tumours that need the treatment the most. And this where we tackle them
at Sunnybrook. The surgery takes about two hours, and men go home
the next day with a catheter. Importanly, at Sunnybrook,
effective pain control and the most advanced techniques are used to
minimize side effects. During the surgery, the majority of patients undergo
what's called a nerve sparing radical prostatectomy.
It's very important to men of course, to spare the nerves that
supply the erections for their ***. And we are very
meticulous at sparing the nerves while effectively taking out the
prostate and treating their cancer. Joel's catheter was removed within
two weeks, and while he did experience discomfort from the incision,
for several weeks, pain was another thing. I can emphasize that.
I had no pain, and I'm no hero. They sent me home
with a prescription for strong painkillers. I took one of them.
Thankfully, it appears that Joel's cancer was confined to the prostate, and now
several months into his recovery, he's doing better daily.
Dr. Nam says while surgery is certainly not for everyone,
it remains one of the most effective ways to control prostate cancer.
It's a very safe procedure with very minimal
side effects in terms of their medical condition. Yes, we have to address
their recovery from their erections and urinary control
but these methods are also very effective. Overall,
patients are very satisfied after having this surgery, especially
knowing that the cancer is out and knowing what the
results are from their surgery. With Sunnyview, I'm Monica Matys.